Self-Management Activities Benefit Mesothelioma Patients
|

Self-Management Activities Benefit Mesothelioma Patients

ByHolly Zink

Self-management activities are a proven way to fight fatigue and anxiety. They also improve poor sleep quality. A recent report showed that self-management activities are improving lung cancer patient outcomes. Results ask mesothelioma patients to use self-management activities. They are a proven way to improve a patient’s quality of life. What are Self-Management Activities? Self-management activities allow patients to manage their disease. These activities include managing symptoms, medications, physical activity, and dietary behaviors. Results say grab a partner! Early-stage disease patients with a partner have the most benefit. Dr. Rachel Anne Rowntree from the University of Wollongong in Australia stated, “This review supports evidence that there are improved outcomes in cancer among those with a partner.” The Studies and the…

Improve Mesothelioma Outcomes with a Fast-Mimicking Diet: Is it Possible?
| | |

Improve Mesothelioma Outcomes with a Fast-Mimicking Diet: Is it Possible?

ByAlex Strauss

New science from Italy suggests that it might eventually be possible to improve mesothelioma outcomes by severely restricting calories during cancer treatment.  The study appears in a recent version of the journal Cancer Discovery. Researchers with Italy’s FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM) in Milan tested a fast-mimicking diet in 101 cancer patients.  They concluded that restricting calories is a safe and feasible method for “reshaping metabolism” to impact tumor growth. If further studies confirm their findings, it could improve mesothelioma outcomes for thousands of patients. The Need for Better Mesothelioma Treatments Mesothelioma is a fast-growing and deadly type of cancer. Most people who receive a mesothelioma diagnosis do not live out the year. Malignant mesothelioma grows on the membranes…

Exercise and Nutrition Advice Could Help Some Mesothelioma Patients
| | |

Exercise and Nutrition Advice Could Help Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Most mesothelioma patients would welcome exercise and nutrition advice that might help them cope with their cancer and its symptoms better.  That news comes from a study in the Journal of Geriatric Oncology. Researchers wondered if seniors with lung cancer or mesothelioma would even be open to recommendations about their exercise and nutrition.  The study found that they would and that it would probably help them feel better. But there are barriers to getting this kind of information into the hands of people who need it.  Symptoms of Pleural Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer Pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-related cancer that affects the lungs. Mesothelioma patients have many of the same symptoms as lung cancer patients. Among other things, they tend…

Vitamin D3 May Slow the Spread of Pleural Mesothelioma, Study Shows
| | | | |

Vitamin D3 May Slow the Spread of Pleural Mesothelioma, Study Shows

ByAlex Strauss

A study conducted in Italy suggests that Vitamin D3 might help keep mesothelioma cells from growing and spreading. The biologically active form of Vitamin D is calcitriol or D3. Other studies suggest it might have anticancer properties. But no one has studied its effect on mesothelioma cells until now.  The researchers applied Vitamin D3 to pleural mesothelioma cells in the lab. Not only did it weaken the cells, but it also blocked their ability to divide into new cells. The study suggests that Vitamin D may even boost the effectiveness of mesothelioma chemotherapy. The Cancer-Fighting Role of Calcitriol The body naturally produces calcitriol. It plays a role in regulating the cell cycle, including apoptosis or natural cell death. Vitamin D3…

High-Dose Vitamin C and a Fast-Like Diet Might Help Fight Mesothelioma
| | |

High-Dose Vitamin C and a Fast-Like Diet Might Help Fight Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A combination of a low-calorie, plant-based diet and high levels of Vitamin C might offer a new and less-toxic way to combat malignant mesothelioma. A report published in the journal Nature Communications says the combination delayed tumor progression in mouse models of colorectal cancer. In some mice, it even caused their tumors to shrink. The most-affected tumors had a genetic mutation found in about a quarter of human cancers, including some cases of mesothelioma. Mutations in the KRAS gene help mesothelioma resist standard cancer treatments.  The study indicates that adding Vitamin C to a diet that mimics fasting might help doctors get around this mesothelioma defence mechanism.  The Anti-Cancer Effects of Ascorbic Acid Vitamin C is also known as ascorbic…

Supplements During Chemotherapy May Work Against Mesothelioma Treatment
| | |

Supplements During Chemotherapy May Work Against Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

A new study suggests that it could be risky to take supplements during chemotherapy for mesothelioma and other cancers.  The study took place at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York. It focused on more than 1,100  breast cancer patients. It found that patients who took certain antioxidant supplements during chemotherapy had worse outcomes than those who did not.  The study’s authors say antioxidants undermine one of the main jobs of chemotherapy drugs – to create oxidative stress in cancer cells. Chemotherapy is the primary first-line treatment for malignant mesothelioma and many other cancers.  Why Avoid Antioxidant Supplements During Chemotherapy? Antioxidants are compounds found in many fruits and vegetables. Vitamins A, C, E, and B12 are examples…

Keto Diet for Mesothelioma Not Advised Despite New Research
| | |

Keto Diet for Mesothelioma Not Advised Despite New Research

ByAlex Strauss

New research suggests a diet low in carbs and sugar may slow the growth of certain kinds of cancer cells. The news may have mesothelioma patients wondering about the value of the keto diet for mesothelioma, too.  The new study appears in the most recent issue of the journal Cell Reports. Researchers fed a restrictive ketogenic diet to mice with a certain kind of lung cancer. They also gave them a drug to keep the kidneys from absorbing extra glucose. The trial was not focused specifically on the keto diet for mesothelioma. But the findings do show that sugar and certain cancers do not mix.  What is the Ketogenic Diet? The ketogenic – or “keto” – diet is very low…

Eating to Beat Mesothelioma: New Study Sheds Light on Diet/Cancer Link
| | | |

Eating to Beat Mesothelioma: New Study Sheds Light on Diet/Cancer Link

ByAlex Strauss

A new study on the link between diet and cancer contains important information for patients trying to beat mesothelioma. The study was conducted by researchers at Tufts University and published this week in JNCI Cancer Spectrum. It compares American diets and rates of several kinds of cancer in 2015. The goal was to determine how many cancer cases might be blamed on poor diet. Although the study did not focus on mesothelioma cancer, patients determined to beat mesothelioma would be wise to take note of the findings. Poor Nutrition Can Lead to Cancer The Tufts researchers estimated that more than 80,000 cases of cancer diagnosed in 2015 happened because of suboptimal diet. That is more than 5 percent of all…

Ginsburg’s Recovery Shows Value of Healthy Lifestyle for Mesothelioma Survival
| | |

Ginsburg’s Recovery Shows Value of Healthy Lifestyle for Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s successful lung cancer surgery illustrates the value of healthy lifestyle for mesothelioma survival. Although Ginsburg did not have mesothelioma, people battling the asbestos cancer would do well to pay attention. The 85-year-old Supreme Court justice recently had two nodules removed from her left lung. Her lung cancer was in an early stage. Doctors say they were able to remove all signs of cancer and Ginsburg is now recovering at home. Ginsburg’s Regular Exercise Routine Justice Ginsburg has survived cancer twice before. She had colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. In both cases, she bounced back quickly. She did not miss a day on the bench. Ginsburg is known for her healthy lifestyle. She eats…